FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

HARTFORD, Conn. (April 25, 2024) – Acclaimed Historian Manisha Sinha will speak in-person at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History about the new research that prompted the groundbreaking findings within her latest book, The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic, on May 2 at 6 pm. The public is invited to attend.  

After the Civil War, during the Reconstruction Era, the victorious North attempted to create an interracial democracy in the unrepentant South, but that effort failed—and that failure serves as a warning today about violent backlash to the mere idea of black equality. Her new book offers an expansive examination of Reconstruction that fundamentally alters our view of this formative era in American history. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear this provocative account firsthand from the author and engage in discussion on the topic. 

Manisha Sinha is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and the President elect 2024 of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and taught at the University of Massachusetts for over twenty years, where she was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal; the highest honor bestowed upon faculty. She is the author of The Counterrevolution of Slavery, which was named one of the ten best books on slavery in Politico and featured in The New York Times 1619 Project.  She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic is her latest book release. 

Tickets are available to purchase through the Connecticut Museum’s website, connecticutmuseum.org, and includes the option to purchase the book in advance. Copies will also be available to purchase during the event, courtesy of River Bend Book Shop. 

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About the Connecticut Museum:  

The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (formerly Connecticut Historical Society) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1825, as the state’s premier historical society and one of the oldest in the nation. Located at One Elizabeth Street in Hartford, the Museum houses exhibitions, a library, a research center, and a vast collection that includes more than 4 million manuscripts, graphics, objects and artifacts. The Museum strives to cultivate deep understanding of the history and culture of Connecticut, and its role in the United States and the world, through reflection of the past, active engagement with the present, and innovation for the future through our collections, research, educational programs, and exhibitions. To learn more about our ongoing exhibitions and programs, please visit: connecticutmuseum.org 

Media Contact:

Samantha Skeels
Marketing and Communications Manager
Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
sskeels@connecticutmuseum.org
860-969-6089 x5